An Expensive and Unexpected Appreciation
by Hotch Fan
Summary: "Well, they are gifts. I understand people give them all the time, especially at this time of the year." - Or Carter and Fusco receive some unexpected presents on Christmas Eve.


**Fanfic inspired by my head-canon of Finch buying Fusco and Carter expensive Christmas presents and by Haiza Tyri's wonderful fic 'In Which Fusco Receives A Christmas Present' which if you haven't read, I fully recommend you do! And because I've wanted to write some Carter/Fusco interaction for a while now. This is just my second time writing Fusco and the first with Carter, so let me know what you think!  
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******************************************I don't owe Person of Interest or any of its characters and a**s always, thanks to the lovely **_PJTL156_**** for the beta.**

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**OoOoO**

**Titled:** **An E****xpensive**** and U****nexpected**** Appreciation.**

Sitting behind her desk, Carter cursed under her breath as she read the sheet of paper in her hands.

"Fusco!" She hissed, attracting her partner attention. Fusco looked up from his desk, watching her questioningly. "Come here."

Taking out his glasses, Fusco looked around suspiciously and Carter rolled her eyes. She was going to have to have _another _talk with him about being less obvious with all this damn secrecy. She couldn't believe the whole precinct didn't suspect of them already with Fusco's less than subtle behavior.

Glasses in his hand, Fusco walked toward Carter's desk, a concerned look on his face.

"Everything okay, Carter?"

Carter handed him the paper. "Check this out."

With a frown, Fusco took the piece of paper, put his glasses back on, and started reading.

"What's this?"

"Remember what I told you last week? About some junk stealing Taylor's laptop when he was going home?"

"Yeah, yeah, I remember." Fusco nodded to the paper in his hand. "So you bought him a new one? You went _way_ above just replacing it. Got another paycheck I don't know about, Carter?"

"You don't get it, Fusco," Carter said annoyed, her voice low. "_I _didn't buy this."

Fusco looked down at the sheet of paper before leaning closer to Carter.

"You think this is a gift from our mutual friends?"

"Who else? Or do you think I know someone else who could know about the laptop, and with enough money to be spending it around like this?"

Fusco nodded, throwing a quick look at the doll with the camera on his desk. He still hadn't told Carter about it, but since they were working together now he knew he should.

"So, what? Mr. Glasses heard what happened and just went and bought the laptop for your kid? Shoulda known sooner. Guy could have bought my kid some video games he's been asking for."

Carter rolled her eyes, lips pursed. "It's not just the laptop. Here, look at this."

Fusco took the paper sheet Carter was handing to him and read it: An annual membership to some fancy -and surely overpriced- spa.

Fusco grinned, looking back at Carter. "A spa? Really?"

"What's so funny? With this job I sure deserve some R&R, and a spa sounds great right now."

Fusco shook his head. They had it tough, he wasn't going to deny that. "So, what's with all the gifts? Glasses asking you out or somethin'?"

Carter snorted. "Don't be ridiculous. I guess he did this as some kind of retribution or something like that." Carter paused, looking sideways toward Fusco's desk. "You didn't get anything?"

Fusco followed Carter's gaze, shrugging. "Hadn't checked my mail yet."

Carter shot a meaningful glance toward his desk, and Fusco gave her the papers back before walking back to his desk.

Fusco quickly found the manila envelope identical to the one at Carter's desk. It was addressed to him and without the name of the sender. Fusco snorted. Of course there wasn't a name.

After saving the papers back inside the envelope, Carter hurried to Fusco's desk, standing next to him.

"I guess Finch is asking you out, too," Carter joked, getting a grunt from Fusco. "What is it?"

Carefully, Fusco tore open the envelope, pulling out a sheet of paper.

Carter pulled closer, reading over Fusco's shoulder.

"Damn," she murmured after a moment, pulling back to look at Fusco's face.

Fusco blinked at the sheet a few times before turning his gaze to Carter. "He got my kid a new hockey gear."

Lips pressed into a thin line, Fusco's eyes were glued to the piece of paper again. He had promised Lee a new gear last year, but with the way things had been, and the prices, he hadn't. He wondered how Mr. Glasses knew about that. Lee was a good and smart kid, so he hadn't brought that up again, and neither had he.

"Hey," Carter called, pulling him out of his thoughts. "Let's see what he got _you_."

Nervously, Fusco pulled the second sheet out.

"Fuck," Fusco exclaimed, barely stopping himself from shouting out loud.

Glasses had got him tickets for the whole fucking hockey season.

Carter chuckled softly. "I guess he picked the right present for you, too."

Fusco shook his head, letting out a whistle. "I don't even want to think about how the geek knew what to get us."

"Me neither."

They remained silent for a moment, each lost in their thought.

"We can't keep them. You know that, right?" Carter stated, her voice hard.

"Why the hell no? It's the least we deserve with all the crap we have to put up with those two."

Carter glared at him. "You are kidding, right? All this cost a lot of money, Fusco; more than what I'd like to think. We had to give it all back."

Fusco sighed wearily. "I know. It was worth a shot."

Carter nodded, pleased with Fusco's response. "It's almost five. We should go get some food."

Carter give him a meaningful look, and Fusco nodded, putting the papers back into the envelope and taking it with him as he walked behind Carter who took her own envelope too.

They went straight to Fusco's car, and as soon as she closed the door, Carter pulled out her cell phone.

_"Good afternoon, Detectives." _Finch's voice greeted them, and they looked at each other.

"What's up with what you send us?" Carter asked after a moment, looking at Fusco out of the corner of her eye.

There was a pause at the line and then, _"I'm afraid you'll have to be more specific, Detective."_

Fusco rolled his eyes. "What's with all the gifts?"

_"Ah. I think Detective Fusco just answered your question, Detective."_

"What do you mean?"

_"Well, they are gifts. I understand people give them all the time, especially at this time of the year."_

Fusco growled. "Very funny. So spit it out already. What's the catch with them? You want to make sure we are still on your side, or you want us to do something awful?"

Carter shot Fusco a look, but didn't say anything, waiting for Finch's answer.

_"There's not "catch" as you call it, Detective. They are just gifts. A small gesture to show our appreciation for your work."_

Carter snorted. "You didn't have to go out wasting all that money, ya' know? A simple "thank you" would have been more than enough."

_"Thank you, Detectives."_ Finch answered after a moment, his voice soft. _"We will try not to disturb you both for the rest of the day and tomorrow as well,"_

"Wait!" Carter called, stopping Finch from ending the call. "We can't accept your gifts."

_"I see. Can I request to know the reason?"_

"Are you fucking kidding me? You spend more than our salaries buying that stuff!"

_"Hmm... Well, they are _yours _Detectives. Whether you take them or not, it's your choice. They've been paid for and wouldn't be turned back in by me. Good afternoon, Detectives."_

With that, Finch hung up the phone before either could say anything else.

They remained silent for a long time until finally Carter spoke.

"Taylor really needs that laptop, and I guess your kid could use that gear."

Fusco turned to Carter surprised. "You thinking about take 'em?"

Carter shrugged. "Maybe we can change 'em with cheaper ones and donate the rest of the money somewhere."

Fusco nodded slowly. "That sounds good. What about the spa and tickets?"

"I'm not sure we should take those. That's a lot more money that the laptop and gear."

"Yeah, you are right." Fusco scratched the back of his head. "So, you want to go to Denny's?"

Carter tucked her cell phone in her pocket. "Yeah, I'm starving."

They got out the car and started walking toward the diner when a grin spread over Fusco's face.

"What is it?" Carter asked him, a curious eyebrow arched.

"Just thinking. If Glasses bought us all those flashy and expensive stuff, what do you think he gave Wonderboy?"

Carter laughed. "I have no idea. You?"

"No clue. Maybe a tank?"

**/***/**

At the abandoned library -with a couple of keystrokes- Finch turned off the microphone from Detective Carter's cell phone, turning his upper body toward the tall man sitting at his side.

"Looks like I won, Mr. Reese."

Reese grinned. "That was your plan from the beginning, wasn't it? You knew they wouldn't accept a gift, so you gave them ridiculously expensive ones so they wouldn't feel so uncomfortable and at least accepted them to some extent."

Finch adjusted his glasses. "I'm afraid I don't know what you are talking about, Mr. Reese."

"Of course you don't, Finch." Reese's voice was full of humor as he talked. "Are the places that you bought all of that at going to let them chose something less expensive that what you picked out?"

Finch's eyes twinkled, his lips curled up on one side. "I don't see why not."

**OoOoO**

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**What do you think? Like it? Hate it? Please let me know! And please, don't ask me which present Finch bought Reese because I have no idea! I'm just as clueless as Fusco and Carter o.O If you have any ideas let me know in your reviews and I may get inspired to write a sequel to this fic, with Finch giving Reese his present ;) **

**Just a little note; I have no idea if you can actually do what Finch did here (buying presents and then sending some kind of receive or bill so Carter and Fusco could pick them up later) if it's not possible please just ignore it; he's Finch ****after all, ****so he can do what he wants :P**


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